Certain tasks in the Republic of Slovenia are in the domain of the state or local community. In order to carry out these tasks, state-owned or public companies have been established.

The management of such companies is not always good and transparent, and as a result it often leads to considerable damage to public property. Such situations are mostly caused by poor management by the management boards, and rarely by poor and inadequate control by the supervisory boards. They are also the result of poor and inadequate communication between the management and supervisory boards. Unfortunately, poor governance does not occur in isolated cases and the mismanagement of such companies is often only introduced to the public through affairs that are presented in the media.

There are, however, also some positive exceptions with good and transparent corporate governance that bring profits to the shareholders and, consequently, lower the prices of individual services for citizens.

Today, agroecology is more than a science; it is a movement that advocates for a sustainable redesign of the global food system. Some of its acknowledged protagonists plead for a redesign based on the support of and for small-scale farming because small farms are considered more sustainable than large farms. The present review explores the arguments that leading agroecologists use for justifying their preference for small (frequently peasant) farms. In this review, small farms are defined as possessing a mean agricultural area of maximum two hectares, being family-owned, emphasizing outdoor production, and annually producing at least two different crops or livestock. Peasant farms are defined as subsistent small farms in developing countries. The review includes an overview of the current state of small farms and their most severe challenges. Agroecological publications of the last thirty years were scanned for arguments that sustain the hypothesis that small farms are more sustainable. It was found that there are no studies that directly compare the sustainability of farms based on their size. Instead, most studies cited to confirm the sustainability of small farms compare farms that differ in terms of both, size and farm management. Hence, it is likely that the reason for the advanced sustainability of small farms is their management, not their size. The assertion that small farms are a priori more sustainable than large ones is not supportable. Misleading use of the term “small farms” may impede the efforts of agroecology to stimulate sustainable food production.

Solar power or photovoltaic (PV) systems have emerged as a leading low-carbon energy technology worldwide, but the deployment of residential PV systems in Norway has lagged behind other Scandinavian countries. Therefore, the Norwegian market provides an opportunity to gain insights on the demand factors that determine residential PV adoption. This paper presents results from a stated- preference survey designed to elicit household knowledge, preferences and willingness to pay for residential PV systems. Results suggest that meaningful growth in residential PV capacity depends greater knowledge among households, continued advances in technology, clarity with the grid tariff and stronger support systems. A review of recent experiences in the field corroborates the important role of effective regulatory structures and support programs.

Purpose: The study was conducted to assess the implementation of value added tax and related challenges the case of Bench Sheko Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia. Methodology: The study is based on descriptive data analysis method and the collected primary data has been carefully coded, checked for consistency and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) and the secondary data related to VAT collection performance of the revenue bureau from 2010/11 to 2017/18 analysis also done. Finding: The result of the study shows that there are less awareness creation and educational programs, inadequate competence, inadequate enforcement of tax laws, absence of consistent follow-up to assess and register unregistered traders, inadequate infrastructure, weak monitoring, tax evasion, inefficient tax intelligence work and tax auditing. Practical implication: This article offers insights to regional revenue bureau and ministry of revenue to give unreserved attention on it and improve the implementation gaps of VAT through fulfilling the necessary tax administration logistics, enhancing tax education, reducing organizational bureaucracy and improving tax payers’ trust. Lastly, the revenue bureau shall make continuous monitoring and evaluation, maintain accountability and transparency, conduct adequate intelligence and tax auditing to achieve the desired objectives. Significance of the study: The study would notably reveal the way of intervention to revenue minster and policy makers to fill on the gaps found and improve its performance related to VAT administration and collection practice in future.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the sector-wise dividend payment of all the listed companies in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). This paper also indicates the highest and lowest percentage of dividend paid by companies in each sector, as well as illustrates the reason for distributing such amount of dividend. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical analysis was done by using the last fifteen years (i.e., 2004-2018) of dividend payment by all listed firms in DSE. Data was collected from the secondary sources to perform the analysis. On collected data, average dividend amount was calculated for each listed company by adding the percentage of cash and stock dividend paid by those companies. Trend analysis was performed on the average dividend to see which company among all listed companies is distributing a high or low percentage of dividend to their shareholders' over the years. Findings: The results from this article show that companies in the declining industry fail to meet their shareholders’ expectations in terms of dividend payment. On the other hand, companies in booming industries are consistently disbursing dividend for their shareholders’. Besides, companies are in the growth stage, and the multinational companies are distributing a considerable percentage of dividend. Practical implications: The results of this article will be helpful for the fund managers’, investment analysts’ and investors’ who makes decisions to invest in the capital market because the paper presented the historical average dividend payment by listed companies. Originality/value: This article presents the average dividend payment by companies listed in stock exchange in an emerging economy, also finds out sector-wise dividend payment and suggests some remedial for companies.

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the impact of the operating synergy, financial synergy and firm reputation toward firm performance in merger and acquisition processes. This study also examines how firm reputation moderates the impact of operating synergy and financial synergy toward firm performance. The object of this research are companies involved in mergers and acquisitions between 2010 and 2016. Design/methodology/approach: The purposive sampling method is used to select the research sample. The descriptive statistical test, outlier test and hypothesis test is used to analyze the data using e-eviews program. The study assumed Buy and Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR) as the performance to measure a successful acquisition, and the factors that have an impact on acquisition performance are taken as being operating synergy, financial synergy and firm reputation. Findings: The results of this study show that by maximizing the operating synergy and firm reputation, this can improve the BHAR of an acquisition event, and a firm will a weak reputation can strengthen the BHAR by maximizing the operating synergy. Practical implications: These findings will be very helpful to management to maximize their firm performance using merger and acquisition as their strategy and firm reputation as their intangible resources. Originality/value: This article provides a new insight of acquisition research as to how firm reputation moderates the impact of acquisition synergy to achieve firm performance.

Purpose: This research aims to study the impact of local environmental factors on the adoption of International Accounting system in Iraq. So the main objective of the research can be the evaluation of the role of local environmental factors in selecting the best method to adopt International Accounting Standards (IAS), and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Design/methodology/approach: The researchers prepared a questionnaire contains 28 paragraphs which were coded and divided into 7 parts showing the independent variables of the study (the environmental factors) and the dependent variable (the adoption of IAS/IFRS) Findings: The results of the research show that the local environment factors can effect on the choice of the country to adopt the best method of IAS/IFRS adoption, and the statistical analysis results show that there is a very good level of agreement for the participants about the effect of local environment factors on the adoption of IAS/IFRS. Practical implications: The research offers insights to the need to activate national standards and principles that are appropriate to the local environment in order to adapt with the requirements of IAS/IFRS adoption. Originality/value: The research presents significant pragmatic evidence in terms of its meticulous approach towards checking the robustness of results.

Purpose: This research is aimed to find out the determinant of Price Earning Ratio (PER) in the property and real estate company listed in Indonesian Stock Exchange for the period 2011-2018. Design/methodology/approach: Referring to the developed model by Afza & Tahrir and Amalia by using 6 independent variables including Dividend Payout Ratio, Tobin’s Q, Leverage, Market Return, Earning Growth and Size, are expected to renewal in results in order to obtain variables that influencing the movement of Price Earning Ratio in property and Real Estate Company. Findings: From panel data analysis method, it can be found that fixed effect model is the most suitable model for both the changes of Price Earning Ratio in the property and Real Estate Company. The results of each variable can be explained that Tobin’s Q has positive impact, meanwhile Earning Growth and Size has negative impact. Afterwards, this research is also expected to provide framework of thinking for the policy maker to attract the attention of investor in the property and real estate company sector. Practical implications: The article offers insights to Price Earning Ratio in property and Real Estate Company that listed in Indonesian stock exchange period 2011-2018 simultaneously, partially and identifies the regression model of panel data inside. Originality/value: The article presents there are five significant free variables, including Tobin’s Q, Leverage, Market Return, Earning Growth and Size that influence the Price Earning Ratio in property and Real Estate Company.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of audit quality on firm value in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2013 to 2017. Design/methodology/approach: Population in this study are all manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Sampling was carried out using a purposive sampling method. Research data were tested using multiple regression analysis. Findings: The results from this study show that audit quality has a positive effect on firm value in manufacturing companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Practical Implications: The Indonesian capital market gives a positive appreciation to companies that have higher quality audits. Higher audit quality is expected to reduce agency costs, reduce information asymmetry and increase firm value. Companies are advised to use higher quality auditors in order to increase firm value in the Indonesian capital market. Originality/value: Audit quality which is proxied by Big 4 and non-big 4 auditors has been proven to have a positive influence on firm value in manufacturing companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

Mental accounting, defined as a set of cognitive processes that allows the organization of financial activities and facilitates money management; First of all, it helps people to compare the returns / incomes in return for their expenses and the costs to be incurred, and enables them to make decisions through a different mental account for the income tax or value added tax etc. they will pay in their investments. In the process of mental accounting, self-employed taxpayers may consider the correct declaration of tax, but they can also make different tax calculations, and even obtain information in consultation with their professionals. It is known that some professionals use mental accounting themselves by helping self-employed people fondly. It is impossible today to check whether mental accounting is related to tax knowledge, business and personality traits, and the degree of association with the intended tax behavior. The conclusions have been reached by a study in this regard;

- While some taxpayers mentally separate taxes from turnover, others are not (integrators ) ,

- Where there are small differences in mental accounting between income tax and VAT, and,

- Confirmatory factor analysis, tax information and mental accounting are different structures (Journal of Economic Psychology Nr. 70 , January 2019, P: 125-139).

On the other hand, mental accounting is a strategy used in controlling personal spending, consumption, and investments as a cognitive set of operations in monitoring one's financial/financial business (=activity) and transactions. These are classified in mental accounts, meaning that individuals monitor all of their expenses separately and include the process of personal decision making, correction, control or abandonment of decisions. In particular, when multiple options are encountered, they are evaluated jointly-the results of different decisions are combined or evaluated separately. This depends on the emotional and intellectual structures of the person, along with the risk and expenditure criteria that the person undertakes. Because the decision is between sentimentality and thought, and results in rational-real or irrational-non-real results. In fact, they have a positive relationship with education, financial knowledge, money management and tax awareness in mental accounting. A consumer or investor/businessman in the decision process, including most accounting and Finance, Management Accounting, Financial Accounting and tax accounting are associated with, and are affected by them and affect them. These aspects are quite interesting.

This work presents a new method for identifying the bubbling regime of a fluidized bed gasification reactor. The method has been developed using experimental measurements and a computational model. Pressure drops are measured in experiments, and pressure drop as well as solid volume fraction fluctuations are calculated by implementing the model. experiments are carried out with sand and limestone particles of mean diameter 346 µm and 672 µm, respectively. A computational particle fluid dynamics (CPFD) model has been developed for the reactor and implemented using a commercial CPFD software Barracuda VR. The model is validated against experimental measurements. The validated model is used to analyse the fluctuation of pressure drop and solid volume fraction as a function of superficial air velocity. The change in standard deviation of pressure drop and solid volume fraction fluctuation is used to predict the transition from one regime to another. The method can be used in the design and operation of a bubbling fluidized bed gasification reactor. The results show that the minimum fluidization velocity for sand and limestone are 0.135 m/s and 0.36 m/s, respectively and are independent of the particle aspect ratio. Both types of particle beds make the transition into bubbling regime as soon as they get fluidized. The bed aspect ratios have almost no effect on the onset of bubbling fluidization regime. The slugging velocity decreases with increasing aspect ratio for both types of particles. The operating range of the bubbling fluidized bed for sand particle is 0.2–0.4 m/s and 0.5–0.8 m/s for the limestone particles.

The enhancement of heritage resources helps to promote conservation, contributes to more significant and better protection, and favors the efficient use of these resources. Many heritage works and liabilities linked to mining activity are abandoned, causing the deterioration of heritage resources that may become environmental liabilities over time. this work aims to develop strategies for the development of the Mining-industrial heritages through participatory methods for geomining enhancement and development of places in the Zaruma-Portovelo area. The proposed methodology consists of: (i) the creation and development of a database with several publications and documents that register the Mining-industrial heritage sites; (ii) the assessment of mining-industrial sites based on criteria or methodologies proposed by other authors; (iii) focal group work considering: (a) the identification and cataloging geosites of interest, (b) the creation and/or development of museums, tourist mines, mineral routes or geoparks in which the natural and geological-mining factors complement each other and (iv) SWOT analysis and matrix which provides several strategies for value-making of geomining heritage and its promotion in the development of geotourism in a project proposal for Zaruma and its surroundings. in conclusion, this work includes twelve unified mining sites in the Proposal for Geopark ‘Ruta del Oro,’ as a strategy to guarantee the conservation of heritage values and contribute to local development and geotourism.

Geothermal energy is developing with high progress to provide clean energy production standards at a world-wide scale. These projects are characterized with high risk level associated with drilling methods, resource existence, uncertain heat water temperature and its chemistry. The risk mitigation scenarios are crucial to avoid investment failure. Presented paper is a case study of geothermal investment in Trzęsacz, located in the Baltic coastline in Poland, where predicted heat water (38°C) was planned to be used for leisure, swimming and balneological purposes. The final effect of test drilling was disruptive. Thermal water has temperature 27°C and is not enough to fulfill needs of planned water park facilities and hot springs recreational proposals. The concept had to be revised. The amount of wasted water and embodied energy were recognized as a high entropy problem. In the spirit of syntropic development model, an idea to consume unwanted geothermal water and to treat it as useful local resource for aquaculture purposes was taken into consideration. That way the Jurassic Salmon Farm realization in Janowo in 2015, the first in the world salmon fishery based on geothermal resources, became an inspiration for future fishery deliberation, the fastest growing food sector globally. The Farm was realized 5 km from operating geothermal well, supported with EU funds and research programme led by West – Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. The greenfield investment powered by renewable energy, based on biosafety and industrial ecology rules is an example of the 21st century bioculture. This one moved to urban areas may comply with broad sense to the city aquaculture, aquaponics or urban agriculture, with improvement of the risk reduction strategy in geothermal energy investments. This is the potential to be used by local communities, which can favor synergy effect on the way to regenerative design and syntropic development model.

Corn cobs can be processed chemically to generate new products for electricity employing a simple, low-cost, and environment friendly method. In this article, silicon carbide (SiC) and activated carbon can be synthesized from corn cobs via sol–gel and a chemical activation method, respectively. SiC was synthesized by reacting the synthesized silica and activated carbon with magnesium powder, which served as catalyst at 600 oC. The SiC was doped with varying amount of Al2O3 (0.01, 0.015, 0.02 and 0.1 g), a p-type dopant, via solvothermal synthesis. The undoped SiC was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Then, the band-gap energy and conductivity of undoped SiC and p-doped SiC were determined. SEM-EDX and FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of Si–C bond in the synthesized SiC from corn cob. It was observed that p-doped SiC absorbs higher energy in the visible region than undoped SiC. FTIR analysis confirmed the incorporation of the aluminum in the SiC. UV–vis spectros-copy confirmed that the synthesized p-doped SiC exhibits higher absorbance compared with undoped SiC. Aluminum doping also increased absorption bands on the visible region making it more efficient for potential application in photovoltaic (solar) cells because of the decreased band-gap energy and increase in conductivity of p-doped SiC. The ratio of 1:1–2 (SiC:Al) showed the lowest band-gap and highest conductivity with a value of 1.57–1.58 eV and 0.080–0.082 mS/cm compared with the amount of other p-dopants. Statistically, it was found that the 1:1–2 ratio of SiC:Al can be an effective p-junction for the application in photovoltaic (solar) cells.

This article describes an expert system of probability type for diagnostics and state estimation of steam turbine technological subsystems’ components. The expert system is based on Bayes’ theorem and permits one to troubleshoot the equipment components, using expert experience, when there is a lack of baseline information on the indicators of turbine operation. Within a unified approach, the expert system solves the problems of diagnosing the flow steam path of the turbine, bearings, thermal expan- sion system, regulatory system, condensing unit, and the systems of regenerative feed-water and hot water heating. The knowledge base of the expert system for turbine unit rotors and bearings contains a description of 34 defects and 104 related diagnostic features that cause a change in its vibration state. The knowledge base for the condensing unit contains 12 hypotheses and 15 pieces of evidence (indications); the procedures are also designated for 20 state parameters’ estimation. Similar knowledge bases containing the diagnostic features and fault hypotheses are formulated for other technological subsystems of a turbine unit. With the necessary initial information available, a number of problems can be solved within the expert system for various technological subsystems of steam turbine unit: for steam flow path, it is the correlation and regression analysis of multifactor relationship between the vibration and the regime parameters; for thermal expansion system, it is the evaluation of force acting on the longitudinal keys depending on the temperature state of the turbine cylinder; for condensing unit, it is the evaluation of separate effect of the heat exchange surface contamination and of the presence of air in condenser steam space on condenser thermal efficiency performance, as well as the evaluation of term for condenser cleaning and for tube system replacement. With the lack of initial information, the expert system formulates a diagnosis and calculates the probability of faults’ origin.

Following the COP21 conference in Paris, most of the world’s industrialized countries, as well as emerging markets, pledged to reduce or stabilize their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in light of increasing concerns regarding climate change [1]. The necessity to decrease ghg emissions will have implications on the consumption patterns of different types of energies around the world. apart from the obvious need to replace part of the increasing fossil fuel consumption in transportation (including road, rail, air and sea), there is a growing demand in other sectors as well, such as for electricity production, heating and cooling. Many opportunities are being investigated to address some of the issues related to this green energy transition, including the increased harnessing of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass. Despite varying potential for each of the mentioned energy sources to help replace or supplement fossil fuels, only biomass currently has the potential to address most of these needs without requiring significant changes to existing energy distribution networks. for example, bio-mass can be burnt to generate combined heat and power, but it can also be used as a source of carbon to produce biofuels. In the latter case, biofuels such as ethanol could be blended into the existing fuel pool as well as distributed and utilized in engines without requiring significant modifications to the existing chain of distribution. This adaptiveness is not necessarily the case when considering electric vehicles (EV), although they are also of crucial importance towards collectively reducing ghg emissions. This manuscript will review the Biorefinery Done right-concept, developed by the company RéSolve Énergie in close collaboration with the Biomass Technology laboratory. This simple feedstock-agnostic technology allows conversion of any type of residual biomass (including but not limited to softwood bark) to three-types of biofuels. The first objective is to take advantage of the carbohydrate content in the biomass through hydrolysis of the constitutive hemicellulose and cellulose. The fermentable sugars are then converted to ethanol, achieved without any constraints, since the RéSolve process generates a hydrolysate with very low inhibitor levels. The lignin recovered from the process is essentially unmodified lignin and after washing, it is pelletized. Pellets, containing the most energetic components of the lignocellulosic biomass, can provide up to 26 GJ/tonne. Finally, the non-fermentable sugars (C5), as well as the lignin that does not comply with grade a lignin characteristics, are predigested for utilization in a classical biomethanation system. Hence, through this approach, 100% of the carbon from the biomass is converted into commercial products, which at this point are all related to the energy market.

The desire to combat the negative externalities of climate change and its variability has gained a lot of ground over the last few decades. This has resulted in the development of several approaches among which is the UI GreenMetric university ranking developed in 2010. In light of this, this article seeks to examine the performance of African higher education institutions on the ranking table and the impact they have had on their respective countries. To achieve this, this article compared performance scored between participating universities, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission trends, and renewable energy consumption trends. The findings paint a picture of poor performance across each of the categories measured under the UI GreenMetric ranking. However, there was some marginal decline in CO₂ emissions as well as an increase in renewable energy consumption for some participating countries. The findings reveal that participation of African universities in the ranking has been very low. Institutionalizing green campus initiatives by African governments to make it a must for a higher education institution to adopt such strategies was recommended. The study also recommends an increase in sup- port for research in the area of green technologies, methods, and procedures in Africa so as to create enough awareness and education on the topic.

The monitoring of air pollution, especially the detection and characterization of biological aerosols (bioaerosols) in the atmosphere continues to be a challenging task. Most biosensors rely on the presence of specific molecules, such as antigens on the surface, DNA sequences, or the common fluorescents tryptophan, flavins, or reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). However, the de- tection signatures from either of these technologies can change significantly when the bioaerosol is released into the atmosphere, and the observed changes are strongly dependent upon the environmental conditions. In developing bioaerosol detection and characterization methods, researchers must account for the potential changes in their physical, chemical, and biological properties caused by various atmospheric conditions. The experimental results presented here show how the fluorescence spectral profile and intensity, the viability, and the PCR signature of bioaerosols, in particular for the vegetative bacteria Escherichia coli, change with time in the presence of one, or combinations of two, three, or four of the following variables: relative humidity <30% or ~75%, ozone ~100 ppb, α-pinene ~5 ppb, toluene ~45 ppb, and simulated solar ultra-violet light illumination with the typical levels in common atmospheric constituents and meteorological conditions. Large changes have been observed, e.g. UV fluorescence intensity dropped to be less than 1/10 of its initial value and the ratio of UV/visible fluo- rescence intensity flipped from 2 to ½ within 3 h. These changes could happen on a typical day in any city or suburban area. Recording data of the ageing processes measured here should be very useful in developing biosensors and monitoring air pollution.

One of the strategies for sustainable development is to promote a quality health care system, available to all without discrimination, and improving protection against health threats. In this context, arsenic removal from groundwater for drinking purposes presents challenges at national and global levels. Thus, the present article focuses on removing arsenic from groundwaters by using a new class of materials based on cellulose modified with crown ether (dibenzo-18-crown-6) doped with iron ions. Using such extractants involves only a small amount of crown ether, indicating higher efficiency of produced material, and in order to improve the adsorbent properties and selectivity for arsenic removal, the modified cellulose was functionalized with iron ions. The new adsorbent material was characterized by using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. To investigate its adsorption properties for arsenic removal, equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies were performed. Arsenic adsorption from water onto new class of adsorbent material was studied under different experimental conditions such as reac- tion time, initial arsenic concentration and temperature. Kinetic of adsorption process was better de- scribed by pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Sips adsorption isotherm. The values of thermodynamic parameters (ΔGº, ΔHº, ΔSº) showed that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. The possibility of reuse of the adsorbent material through adsorption and desorption cycles was also studied, and it was found that the material can be used in three adsorption–desorption cycles.

In the last years, research efforts have been addressed on the effects of single and multiple pollutants on human health, in particular in densely populated areas. Modelling tools, integrating atmospheric science with the latest evidence available from air pollution epidemiology and exposure science, represent a valuable support to health impact assessment. This article considers the latest developments of the DIATI Dispersion and Externalities Model (DIDEM). To extend DIDEM’s scope of analysis, the inte- gration with different pollutant dispersion models was recently implemented. Particularly, in this arti- cle, a comparative evaluation between CALPUFF (California Puff) Lagrangian puff model and SPRAY Lagrangian particle model is presented. To help reaching this objective, the case study of Turin’s district heating system, presented in previous publications, was re-considered and deepened. CALPUFF and SPRAY models were compared on the same emission scenario. NO_x and total PM concentrations result- ing from the simulations were of the same magnitude, with some difference in the spatial distribution. Total health damage costs differed between 8.5% and 9.7%, with lower values corresponding to SPRAY simulations. This difference mostly corresponds to the different spatial distribution of pollutant con- centrations which, in turn, correspond to different exposure levels. The possibility of selecting different modelling tools extends the usability of DIDEM to a larger set of applications, including a wider scope of application and a larger range of users. The results provide important information in the view of the characterization of the overall uncertainty of the impact pathway approach methodology.

Air quality improvement is a major concern in developed countries. In the past decade, especially in Eu- rope, legislative measures have been taken to reduce air pollution. The present article promotes photoca- talysis as an air quality improvement technique towards NO pollution. Indoor air depollution by painted plasterboards treated with photocatalytic coating was investigated. First, at laboratory scale, using a bed flow reactor, depollution efficiency of the photocatalytic system was evaluated. Experimental conditions were adapted as much as possible to match indoor environment. Thus, pollution levels remained at ppb scale, temperature and relative humidity (RH) were kept constant (20 °C and 50% RH) and typical indoor lighting systems (fluorescent tubes, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and halogen bulbs) were used for photoactivation. UV-A fluorescent tube was also used to optimise photocatalytic activity. Second, experiments were conducted at real scale, in a 10-m3 experimental chamber developed at our laboratory. Interior walls were covered with the photocatalytic system and the chamber was used as a reactor. Employing a specific experimental procedure, aiming at keeping pollution level constant in the chamber, photocatalytic depollution was evaluated. The same lighting systems were used for photoactivation. NO₂ abatement efficiency was evaluated through the photocatalytic oxidation potential and rate. Results show that NO₂ can be significantly removed by this technique. However, the light used for photoactivation is at utmost importance. Furthermore, the results show that at laboratory scale, photocatalytic depollution efficiency of NO₂ could be underestimated.

A new method that evaluates dominant local dynamics by skeletonization, mathematical term decom- position and the re-combination of a reduced number of dominant terms around the skeleton points is proposed to clarify the dynamics of hairpin vortices generated during the boundary-layer transition under free-stream turbulence (FST). The development of the method is based on the results of direct numerical simulations conducted for the laminar-turbulent transition on a flat plate with FST intensities of 0–6% and a free-stream Mach number of 0.5. Regarding the skeletonization, a new algorithm for extracting the interior points of vortex structures represented by enclosed iso-surfaces is developed. To identify the dominant terms, governing equations are decomposed into non-further-decomposable (NFD) terms. The proposed method is also extended to time series flow field data to reveal the variation of the combination set of dominant NFD terms during the evolution of vortex structures. The present method enables the automatic finding and categorization of the variations of the sets of dominant terms that govern local dynamics during the evolution of hairpin vortices.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution kills around 6.5 million people around the world every year. The European Environment Agency, in turn, points out that about 50,000 people die annually in Poland due to this. PM10 pollution arises in the form of smog (smoke and fog) and is an unnatural phenomenon created by adverse weather conditions and human activity. The aim of this article is to assess the possibilities of tasking modern neural networks to predict PM10 air pollution levels in the following hours of the subsequent day. In evaluating the prediction task, several types of error are considered, and machine learning algorithms and structures are utilized as learning models. Of note, the algorithm selected for stochastic optimization is a form of convolutional neural networking and deep learning neural networking that is used in machine learning when considering Big Data issues. The obtained results were then analysed and compared with other methods of prediction. As a result of this research, the proposed convergent neural network could be used effectively as a tool for calculating detailed air quality forecasts for the subsequent 24-h period.

Purpose: The study attempts to analyze the impact of economic and non-economic factors on the Turkish economy which was plunged plunged into a currency crisis in August 2018 due in most part to sanctions and tariffs imposed by the U.S. Design and Methodology: Turkey’s economy is characterized as one with high inflation and persistent chronic deficits. The study was based on a literature review of the adverse impact of America’s weaponizing dollar and abuse of sanction power on Turkish economy. The study analyzes developments that laid the foundation for the collapse of Turkey’s a decade-long credit- fueled economy. The broad analysis of Turkey’s most severe currency shock since the unprecedented 2001 economic crisis looks at various exogeneous and endogenous aspects. Findings: The study shows that Turkish economy possesses instability-inflicting imbalances such as high inflation, growing budget deficit, massive dollarization, alarming levels of external debt, and chronic current account deficit. The study concludes that the causes of Turkey’s gloomy economic situation are not all homegrown, its lackluster performance is blamed on attacks of non-economic basis. Another key finding is that Turkey is in desperate need of foreign capital flows as Turkey’s options to service its massive esternal debt through foreign barrowing have become substantially limited since the 2018 August rout. Practical Implications: In general terms, interest rates are of great importance as a monetary policy tool, but in Turkey, the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey sometimes plays a more pivotal role in determining the interest rate elevation and the consequent spike in inflation. The article offers insights to government authorities who should commit to structural and fiscal reforms to put the economy back on the right track for a faster recovery, or else let it collapse beyond repair. Originality/Value: The conclusions and findings in this study impact the perspective of the Turkish central bank with regard to policy responses under economic and financial distress that may arise from economic, non-economic, political and non- political driving and contributing factors. Because of premature and late responses, Turkish citizens are a lot poorer now than they were prior to the August rout in 2018.

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to explain that satisfaction in some features of e-tax system can increase the perception of service tax climate toward tax institution. In the era of modern technology, taxpayers assess tax institution services through the e-tax system, rather than face-to-face services. The e-tax system represents Director General of Taxes (DGT) services to taxpayers in the digital era. Design/methodology/approach: The method of data collection uses a survey in 2019 with a total sample of 94 taxpayers from the cities of Surabaya, Jakarta, Denpasar, and Semarang who have used the e-tax system at least three times. The analysis technique used SEM with WarpPLS software. The results showed that e-tax system satisfaction related to privacy- security and convenience of life affected the perception of service tax climate. Findings: We found that the system's security risk was the most important indicator of privacy-security, according to the taxpayers. We also found that indicator of "can be used anytime and anywhere" was significant to the taxpayers, especially to the respondent of Millennials and X generation in our study. We also found that privacy-security, job productivity, and convenience of life affect overall e-tax satisfaction. Practical implications: The research offers insights to the tax institution who should focus to enhance more rapid response in e-tax system so that the problems of taxpayers could be resolved effectively and efficiently. Originality/value: This is the first study that examines the influence of e-tax satisfaction, in terms of privacy-security, job productivity, and convenience of life, to the perception of service tax climate toward the tax institution.

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the impact of the director’s experience on the acquisition performance. This research also focuses on how the experience of director in making future acquisitions. The authors used. The object of this research is the company that made acquisitions in 2013-2017. Design/methodology/approach: The purposive sampling method is used to select the research sample. The descriptive statistical test, outlier test and hypothesis test is used to analyzed the data using SPSS program. Assuming cumulative abnormal return (CAR) are the performance to measure a success acquisition, and the factors that have an impact on acquisition performance are performance are taken number of prior acquisitions with positive CAR, number of prior acquisitions, average number of acquisitions, number of acquisitions with same industry, percentage number of acquisitions with positive CAR, board independent, board size, managerial ownership, firm size, free cash flow, CEO tenure and leverage as independent variable. The purposive sampling method is used to select the research sample. The descriptive statistical test, outlier test and hypothesis test is used to analyzed the data using SPSS program. Findings: The results from this study show that the number of acquisition with positive CAR can improve acquisitions performance in the future, but the number of prior acquisitions can be reduce the acquisitions performance. Practical implications: This finding will be very helpful for management as a condition in choosing a new CEO. By adding acquisition experience as one of the conditions in choosing a CEO. This will increase the level of successful acquisition of the company. Originality/value: This article present the empirical study of how CEO Experience in Acquisition can increase the success rate of acquisition in Indonesia.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the propagation of high-magnitude crises since the late 1990s and emergence of cryptocurrencies in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008. Design and Methodology: The study was based on a literature review of the interaction between financial crises and evolution of money in the digital age. A high-level technical overview of Libra and blockchain is provided. The broad analysis of Libra coin looks at various models and categories of implementation approaches. The study discusses the components of blockchain technology and provides illustrative visuals when possible. We also compare consensus models used in the Libra and Bitcoin blockchain networks. The analysis also touches on the use ofblockchain technology in applications such as smart contracts. Findings: The study shows that cryptocurrencies are not only a natural but an inevitable transformation in the evolution of money. As with any new technology, Facebook’s Libra is going to cause a great deal of disruption in the existing ecosystem of cryptocurrencies that has taken a decade to form. On the other hand, Libra’s financial inclusion and global stability as a public good promises to revolutionize the cryptocurrency world. Practical Implications: If Facebook’s Libra doesn’t sputter out, it will spur central banks to introduce their own cryptocurrency projects. Libra’s vast scale will make access to intermediation by banks easier, faster, and cheaper. Unlike Bitcoin, Libra will be backed by a basket of stable currencies as well as low-risk government bonds and central bank reserve assets. Originality/Value: This study presents a clear picture of both advantages and potential risks of Libra which is considered to be a new invention eventhough Bitcoin has been around more than a decade. The study warns regulators and law makers along with central banks who are running headlong into backlash to Libra can harm consumers more than protect them. Punishing Facebook with a troubled past for violation of privacy and exploitation of users’ data could adversely affect innovation and discourage developments of cryptocurrencies.